Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-03-26
GLIMPSES OF NEW YORK.
Bits of Life in the Big City Seen Through
the Eyes Of Cummings and Hall.

the Eyes Of Cummings and Hall.
THE TRADITIONS OF THE OLD MARKET-DULL
TIMES IN NEW YORK FOR THE MKN ABOUT TOWN.
HOW MORAL RxFoRxs HELP THE SALOONS
special Correspondence of the EVENING STAR
NEW YORK, March "a
The Fourth Avenue Elevated trains at 4:3O
o'clock OF spring morning are sparsely occupied
with passengers, more than half of whom carry
great empty baskets or wear the rough and-ready
raiment of marketmen. They alight at the Park
place station and scurry down through narrow
streets that lead toward the North River. They
are on their way to Washington market, which
occupies square on the north side of Manhattan
Island. 1t is always open. A thief IMMERSED in
It's workings would imagine that he could easily
walk OIL with some of the fresh meat hanging ap-
parently unguarded at the stalls but before he
would have time to take down his booty one OF the
six watchmen on duty In the market would ap-
pear from its leshly precincts and arrest him. Be-
fore leaving his stall each meat dealer makes out
nst OF his wares exposed The watchmen carry
corresponding list, and are held responsible for
the loss OF any goods by theft. The six watch
men guard the 800 stands so closely that thieves
nnd the place barren waste for their trade. At
O'Clock the stands In the retail market begin TO
open.
THE EMINENTLY HEALTHY BUTCHERS
IN the place whistle merrily, and several OF them
are cutting beef kidneys out of great masses OF
rat and tossing the suet over ON counters. from
whence 1T Will be taken to the big factory known
as the Fat Association, and there made up into
tne Dase OF genuine dairy butter" Beyond the
retail market, md bounded on one side by the
North River, Is the wholesale department OF
Washington market. 1t looks like a street-inter-
sected community OF One-StoTy structures, IeO-
PIED with carcaSseS OF beef, veal and mutton, and
crates OF quacking, cackl1ng fowls. A wheeling
tug tows up TO the wharf lighter, on which are
several refrigerator cars that have been hurryfng
from Chicago with their loads OF beef The car
caSseS are passed out OF the cars, hung on hooks
that move on iron ways, and thus rolled into great
Ice houses, where the retail dealers have already
begun to come for their stock. On Friday and
Saturday mornings business begins at two O'Clock.
BOOSTERS In the crates full OF fowl crow as bithey
as If they were on their perches at home and not
doomed prisoners. Philadelphia is the great fowl
producing center, and many Washington market
llrms display placards reading, philadelphia
poultry especially"
EARLY MORNING SCENES.
Four O'Clock comes and the retail department OF
the market has become quite densely populated.
Halt OF the three thousand persons who do bust
ness In and about the market have already ar
rived and begun to arrange their wares. A few
early purchasers are On hand for choice bargains,
Several shivering buInmers, who frequent the
place and sleep Heaven knows where, are stand
ing about and looking wistfuly in at the windows
OF the little restaurants in the market. They will,
later In the day, run the chance OF earning an odd
dime or so carrying baskets.
OQDack.
ing boxes Of frozen turkeys. OF the Western
states, Iowa is famous for its frozen turkeys,
which now sell at II to 10 cents a pound Ver-
mont and Rhode Island turkeys. however sell for
On the bills of fare of recherche restaurants one
learns that prairie chicken can be had. They are
not In the market, but long rows OF guinea hens
are hanging there, and the brunette flesh of the
guinea hen is pamed of on the unsuspect1ng Gus
toner for prairie chicken. Rows OF adult pigeons
that sell at $3.50 dozen are on SALE and clusters
OF young pigeons, alias squads, are worth S. a
dozen.
THE OYSTER OPENERS
At O'Clock the oyster stands are peopled with
files Of oyster openers who begin their unromantic
toll OF turning 5000 oysters q day out OF house
and home. These oyster openers get $3.50 q
week, and work from & in the morning until at
night, and On Saturday nights until TO- Skilled
oyster openers in other sections OF the city work
for dollar thousand, ana make $50 or more
week. Anglomania has evidently entered into the
game trade, for English sn1pe are selling at $2.7o
dozen, and sand Sn1pe at but S15O. Spring lamb
Is plentiful, but the concomitant mint Is so scarce
that the one or two stands that sell IL get 10 cents
bunch for dollhouse mint, that little later Will
be drug on the market at cents.
Everything eatable is sold in this great market.
Al one stand that has foreign air and Odor Gus
toner Is buy1ng little, hard, spiced cakes from
Germany. over another stand In the fish commu-
nifty Is placard announcing that the dealer has
worms tlat can De had there for 10 and ID cents
dozen. They are sand worms, used by fishermen
Tor Da1t. over the fS-StandS hang bottles OF cod
liver I'VE OIL and under one OF these bottles big cod,
or the essence OF an ancestors liver.
THE HOTEL STEWARDS.
At O'Clock the stewards OF the big hotels whom
the marketmen treat with great Difference begin
to arrive. The steward OF the Fifth Avenue Hotel
is one OF the first in the field. The Union Square
Hotel steward comes at o'clock and of TaylOr's
Hotel, in Brooklyn, half an hour later At that
hour the business of the market begins to be
cOn1uSedly brisk. The marketmen cry their wares
out do IL with an air Of Il don't care much
whether you buy or not" Everybody seems indie
pendent. He owns his stand privilege worth from
200 upward and holds it as long as he behaves
himself and pays his rent OF 81 or more a fort
night Failures In business are rare The dealers
are healthy and cOntented, and to them Washing
Ton market Is the universe. One who has not
been in business In the market over forty wears ia
considered new conner. One bustling Old woman
VINO was selling Florida strawberries at IS cents a
quart, Is up at O'Clock every morning buying her
stock. She Is Mrs. Fowler, and a cordial neiglbor
explains that She has been On the market FORTY
one years. She made fortune once and owned a
brownStone front, but misfortune and the sickness
Oh her Children turned the tide against her. and
now she Is comparatively poor, but as happy as
ever.
TRADITIONS OF THE MARKET.
The tradeSmen are very neighborly and take
pride In relating the history Of the Old market "a
part OF it was given to the city by Queen Elizabeth
TO be used for market purposes only, and TO 60 to
her heirs when 1t should no longer be a market -
sad one old lady, who was bound to give the place
an air OF historical antiquity. Trinity church
gave the city part OF the market, and what is
now known as the Trinity church section is a long
alley where the butter dealers are. s'Next April
Will celebrate my 1fty-first year in the market"
SAID John Shoppe, descendant of the Old New
AmsteIdamers, who began business In the market
when there were only twelve stands there. The
craoeSpeope point out their celebrities with pride
Among these Is young man named William Pur-
cell, VINO Is heir TO million and works at his meat
stand as II 10 keep the wolf Of want away: Dan
Devere, brother OF Sam DeVere, the minstrel per-
former, whose singing Is the delight OF the COM
munlty; butter dealer named DreSch who ia
famous as whistler, and poultry dealer named
his neighborS.
A brisk old man named Alexander Teller. who
mas been In business in the market sixty-one
years, Is the father and oracle OF the place and
Nj. Gruin his nelghbor in the butcher business.
who has been there only sixty years, regards
rather !elier with the respectful consideration
That a dutiful son shows his father.
AMOS j. CUMMINGS,
II.
MORAL AND STUPID CITY,
''New York is really third-class town. q dis
gusted man OF leisure announced the other night
In the Brunswick, TO circle of congenial friends
Iynxxa x.N -